The Great Donut Challenge
The Great Donut Challenge logo

The Great Donut Challenge

West Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Sep 05, 2026
Running

About this race

Who doesn't love a donut...or three? 

This unique 5K challenge combines running & donuts - two of our favorite things - to raise money for Hero to Hero, a wonderful non-profit based in CT that helps veterans transition to civilian life while continuing to use their military training as first responders. The founder of Hero to Hero, as well as veterans who have been beneficiaries of the program, will be volunteering at the event so you can meet these amazing people.

The challenge begins and ends at Fleet Feet Hartford on Sat, Sept. 6 at 8am. Walkers are welcome, as are children if they run with a parent or guardian. On race day, check-in between 7:30-8am to pick up your bib and a T-shirt (if you registered during early bird registration!). 

$30 Early bird registration ends Wed, Aug. 27 at 11:59pm. Also, the deadline to earn a free, sweet T-shirt with your registration!

$35 Registration ends Sat, Sept. 6 at 8am or when we hit our cap of 250 registrants - whichever comes first. 

Donut Challenge Details

Run or walk a 5K course through the streets of West Hartford, checking in at three donut stops along the way. At each stop, participants will choose a card that will instruct them to either "Eat", "Carry" or "Free".

  • If "Eat" is drawn, the participant must eat the donut before moving onto the next station.
  • If "Carry" is drawn, the runner must carry their donut with them in their hands (no bags or carrying devices allowed) until the end. At the end of the course, they will have to eat whatever donuts that they had to carry before crossing the finish line. If the donut(s) are too crumbled to eat (or didn't survive the run) at the finish, participants will receive a 1-minute time penalty for each whole donut that didn't make it. 
  • If "Free" is drawn, the participant does not have to eat or carry a donut at that stop. 

The Top 3 finishers (male & female) will win fabulous prizes courtesy of HOKA - and while there are prizes for the fastest donut-eating runners, this event is meant to be fun. Roads will NOT be closed so please obey all traffic laws and cross streets at crosswalks (even if it means waiting a few seconds for cars to pass). View the route here: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2890963999 

Gluten-Free?

No worries! Let us know, and we'll make sure to have gluten-free donuts on the course just for you!

Pick your distance

Running

The GREAT Donut Challenge

Sep 05, 2026 5K 8:00 AM
$30.00
Open

Typical race-day weather

Based on 1 year of historical conditions on this event's race dates in West Hartford.

Temp (°C)
Minimum temperature (race-day average) 17.5° / Maximum temperature (race-day average) 26.7°
Feels Like (°C)
Minimum feels like — heat index / wind chill (race-day average) 17.5° / Maximum feels like — heat index / wind chill (race-day average) 26.7°
Wind (km/h)
Average wind speed (race-day average)
17.4
Precip (mm)
Average precipitation (race-day average)
13.1mm
Humidity
Average relative humidity (race-day average)
88.0%

About West Hartford

The Great Donut Challenge takes place in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States. The local timezone is America/New_York.

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Race information has been sourced from the event's official website and other publicly available resources. For the most up-to-date details, please refer to the official website directly. If you notice any incorrect or missing information, don't hesitate to reach out to us by email.

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